Microsoft expands cloud services in South African data centres

Tech giant Microsoft has reinforced its commitment to investing in South Africa by making Dynamics 365 and Power Platform generally available in its enterprise-grade data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

This move, announced on Tuesday, also increases cloud capacity and capabilities to enable organisations in the public and private sector to accelerate growth through innovation, agility and resilience.

Data centres

The multiple hyperscale data centre locations within South Africa now provide Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform online services to support organisations as they adapt to the rapid pace of change in today’s world.

Director Business Applications GTM at Microsoft South Africa, Karin Jones, said leaders in organisations are focused on finding ways to improve the flow of innovation and knowledge across the business in order to respond to market changes.

“They need digital solutions that break existing silos between data sources, people, processes, and insights.”

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Cloud services

Jones said having these cloud services delivered from South Africa also means local companies can securely and reliably move their businesses to the cloud while maintaining data residency and sovereignty and meeting compliance and regulatory requirements.

“Organisations in South Africa are increasingly recognising the value of the cloud, driving continued growth and adoption.”

The IDC State of Cybersecurity in South Africa report showed that nearly half (48%) of organisations in the country are using cloud as a platform and driver of digital innovation, and 61% of South African organisations said they were spending more on cloud solutions in 2021 than 2020.

South Africa’s public cloud services market alone is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.5% through 2025, up from $1.6 billion in 2021.

Opportunities

Microsoft said as new services continue to open up opportunities, integrating cloud-based services and products with industry-specific clouds – such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services – can help extend the value and benefits of the cloud even further.

“Microsoft’s ongoing investment in local infrastructure and the expansion of cloud services in South Africa is helping build the capability and improve operational efficiencies of organisations of all sizes across sectors.”

“This will accelerate digital innovation in the country by enabling businesses to become more agile, resilient, and competitive. This in turn will help unlock broader economic growth for South Africa,” said Jones.

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